


Silver and Gold

by LinaLuthor



Series: Christmas in Fódlan [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon Compliant, Childhood Friends, Christmas Fluff, Edelgard's time in Faerghus, F/F, Pre-Canon, baby Astra, they try giving each other some nice gifts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:41:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28286394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinaLuthor/pseuds/LinaLuthor
Summary: Edelgard made friends with Ingrid the first time they talked when the princess arrived at Fhirdiad. They spent amazing afternoons sparring and some nights sharing secrets in each other's rooms. When Saint Seiros day arrives, they try giving each other some gifts and making promises by the fireplace.Promises that are remembered years later as the two meet again in Garreg Mach.
Relationships: Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Series: Christmas in Fódlan [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072001
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Silver and Gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sephirron](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephirron/gifts).



“El, come on, we’ll be late like this and papa will hate it if we miss supper.”

Ingrid’s voice made Edelgard grunt and tighten her grip on the small wooden axe she held, one that was big enough for her hands and arms but might have been seen as a tiny, throwing axe for other kids her age. Even so she brandished it with all the technique and grace that a royal should have in battle, the poise and might of the princess that she was. 

“Defeat me then,” the taller girl said as she jumped away, getting out of range of Ingrid’s wooden lance; she had been ready to lift her weapon and parry another attack if it ever came.

Yet it didn’t and she knew she had the advantage of not being concerned that a father would be mad at her if she were late to the Saint Seiros dinner that would be happening in a few hours. The impatience and urgency in Ingrid’s eyes made their way to her entire demeanor, strengthening her moves and making her faster, but a lot more reckless than before. It was the exact combination that impassive, calculating Edelgard could benefit from. 

They had been practicing together for the last few months already, the two girls almost instantly falling into some sort of friendship after sharing a bit of spite at how both Edelgard’s uncle had taken her to Fhirdiad against her will and Ingrid’s father was trying to finish the arrangements to her marriage to Glenn of house Fraldarius as well. And as sweet as the boy seemed to be, plus the fact that he was a knight and inspired her to be one too, there was something entirely too wrong with the matter that Ingrid couldn’t really tell what it was.

Well, at least she couldn’t until Edelgard exploded due to that and said that it was all very absurd, that she should be free to do what she wanted and marry who she wanted - that was, if she ever desired to settle down with someone to begin with.

“If you were in the Empire, I would make sure you could be whoever you wanted to. You could be my general ,” Edelgard had said on that fateful day in which their friendship began, after she had calmed down a little. “Or my knight. Or whoever you want to be, really. But it would be something that you chose, not that your father did.”

“Eh, but it’ll be ok! Papa knows what he’s doing and Glenn is nice,” Ingrid had giggled back then, though the nervousness of discussing that whole matter wasn’t lost on any of them.

The knowing look and slight shrug she had gotten in response were enough for the blonde to know that Edelgard wasn’t buying it - and deep down, neither did Ingrid for that matter. It wasn’t that she was unfit for carrying on House Galatea and its legacy, or to try making things better for their people once she was old and wise enough to do so. It was just that her prowess on the battlefield was already too visible even as a kid and not something that should be discarded or forgotten in favor of a more er… domestic life, so to speak.

Something that was proven again and again whenever she and Edelgard fought, their matches taking hours or sometimes entire days with pauses in between for food and water. The little princess had soon grown tired of challenging prince Dimitri to a duel that he would more than likely refuse; the few times they had sparred, Edelgard hadn’t liked his technique and more corrected him on it than enjoyed herself. 

But then nothing had really been to her liking during her first days in the Kingdom. The food was too tasteless, the desserts too sweet. The books were boring as there was too much on religion and too little on history, warfare and politics - and yes, though she was a devout and liked prayer as much as any other noble, there was just too much she could take of it. The beds were stiff, her chamber too cold even when the fireplace was on and some mages had lit all possible candles within the room to help with warmth. And her days were too boring, the boys that hung around Dimitri as tiresome as he was at first with all the foolish questions they asked about her and her siblings.

The actual truth was that she had been complaining in order to keep her mind occupied, to not wonder as to why she had been yanked away from Enbarr in such short notice and had neither seen nor heard anything of her father or siblings as it was. Whenever Sylvain, Felix, Dimitri and Glenn asked her about home she felt a stab of pain and worry in her heart, one that made her lash out and be unpleasant to them. Maybe by doing so it would stop the questions, she had thought. 

The issue was that it hadn’t; those kids were too curious about the Empire and its traditions, things they had studied once or twice but never enough so they could get a proper understanding of it. Whenever she had a brisk answer to whatever they had inquired, they only got more and more excited about it, to the point that she was almost in tears and challenging all of them to battle her at once if that meant they would shut up and pay attention to something else.

Her saving grace had been Ingrid, the one who read about knights all the time and reminded them it wasn’t proper to pester a lady, much less a princess. The one who was light on her feet and had great technique with the lance even though she had mostly learned it by herself and from fighting with Glenn. The one who deep down understood what it was like to have no choice on a matter and to worry about it, about how their lives would be if that path was followed.

If the path others had chosen for them was followed instead of the one that their hearts wanted them to be on. 

And so they had become friends, sparring mates and confidantes, spending their entire day and sometimes nights together after sneaking into each other’s rooms and talking about their concerns until the sun was up again. Such had been the case in that Saint Seiros eve, in which Ingrid had woken up in Edelgard’s chamber and swiftly left before she could be up as well, their words from last night echoing in her mind as she made her way to her room and fumbled with her things, trying to make sure the gift she had secretly been working on was ready for that night.

As they fought later in the afternoon and Ingrid was again defeated for being distracted, her lance too high up to parry the friendly slash Edelgard landed against her torso, she hoped the thing she had set aside, worked with her own hands and shaped as best as she could would be enough for the little princess.

“Your mind wasn’t in the battle, was it?” Edelgard huffed, let the axe fall to the ground. They had been at it for a while and granted, it was only a matter of time until one of them tired and started thinking about something else.

She herself had begun wondering if the gift she had almost begged her uncle to procure would be delivered in time - and she hoped it had already been brought to the palace, but would rather not think too much about it anyways. As soon as she was bathed and ready to attend the grand supper she would ask Arundel about it and see what had come of it. 

“Not really. I guess I’m tired and also we really have to go.” Ingrid’s eyes swept over the fields that surrounded the castle, the grass that had frozen all through the Ethereal Moon with the first snows and would probably stay like that until the Great Tree Moon, the new year with its promises of rain and spring. There was no sign of her friends, the ones who usually watched her matches and cheered her on as well. “Everyone else’s already there and we’ll be late.”

“It will be ok, really,” Edelgard placated, put a hand over hers and squeezed it, then grabbed both of their weapons as they started walking back to the palace. The tall, grey structure was smaller than her home in Enbarr even if it was full of turrets and towers that pointed to the sky, calling forth the Goddess with the holy images on its stained glass windows. “The adults can manage without us.”

And so the adults did, barely noticing when Ingrid and Edelgard arrived hours after the feast had commenced, in the dining hall that had been decorated to fit most of the Faerghus royalty under the same roof. Three long tables were covered by white cloth embroidered with blue and silver, forming the coats of armors of the major Kingdom houses. There was more than enough food displayed over all of them and not enough people to consume it - or at least that was what Edelgard thought upon seeing it at first. Candelabras, torches and smaller candles cast ululating lights everywhere, making the gloom, long night look as alive and golden as if it were the middle of summer instead, the cold that had settled on the princess’s bones ever since she got there temporarily dispelled by the festivities, the lively music and livelier, though less harmonic laughter and shouts that came from grownups that had drunk a bit too much already.

Even so, if it weren’t for Ingrid she would have been bored. No one even noticed either of them, more intent on praising Glenn, Sylvain and Dimitri (though the latter was understandable at the very least) while excluding the girls and Miklan, Sylvain’s older brother. Once she asked why the boy was simply set aside and at the most regarded as a nuisance, Ingrid shrugged and said between bites of turkey and vegetables that it was a “cwest thingwie”, which made the princess raise her eyebrows but say no more. It wasn't her place to criticize how the Kingdom ran their politics to begin with. 

After that they fell into a conversation about nobles, Ingrid pointing and making minor introductions, saying something funny about them and trying her best to make her laugh even though there was no smile on her face.

Edelgard was completely miffed and had been so ever since she had talked to her uncle somewhere in the middle of the event. Whatever he had said made her first angry, then sad; Ingrid had seen how red her eyes had been once she sat down on the place that the blonde had secured for her earlier on, but she got nothing more than a head shake and a small “it is not worth it” as a response.

No matter how unworthy the matter was, nothing Ingrid did was able to get a laugh from her dear friend. She made strange faces and played with her food, using a chicken leg as a lance and pointing it at Edelgard to challenge her to a duel. When she was trying to chase after stubborn peas that ran away from her fork, she made up a whole story about a knight going after her love while flying on a pegasus, a fair maiden with long silver hair and… lilac eyes (she had taken a moment to think about that one and couldn’t help but use that color, as she couldn't help but admit that El had the prettiest eyes ever).

And although she was proud of the tale, ending it with a kiss between them and promises of eternal love, that story itself made Edelgard blink a little too much, a little too fast too. 

Seconds later, there were tears running down her cheeks.

“El? El, what’s wrong?” Ingrid embraced her, then thought better about it since for the first time that night there were nobles gawking at them. The last thing she wanted was for Edelgard to feel shy or guilty about falling apart in public for whatever reason it was. “H-here, come with me.” 

She rose to her feet and the princess complied, more than grateful to be taken away from that awful place, those people who were strangers to her and all the questions she still had no answers to. Everything that came crushing down on her at once and due to a motive that she knew was silly, but had meant a lot to her anyways. 

They walked away from the dining hall and Ingrid decided it would be good if they went to their room, which she did while holding Edelgard’s hand, stopping once they got to the stairs to hug her and make sure everything was fine. She knew what she was about to do wasn’t the best solution to anyone’s problems and she had wished to do it when both of them were laughing, enjoying Saint Seiros day for what it was. But then she too had to agree the party was being miserable and in the end, they had no need for those nobles anyways. 

Not when the two of them had already grown used to each other’s company and were more than enough like that. Not when Ingrid’s world had become a lot brighter with El in it and she secretly hoped the princess would stay there forever, or at least for a very, very long time. 

Her heart was fluttering while they embraced, Edelgard’s tears and sobs slowly fading as she buried her head on the blonde’s chest, the frilly light blue dress that Ingrid detested but her father had forced her to wear. Glenn at least had seemed to like it, but even his surprised, approving glance in her direction hadn’t made her feel as much as she was in that moment.

As warm and fuzzy as she was, with her El so close to her chest and slowly calming down under her touch, minutes ticking away while they stood on the edge of the stairs, faint lights from torches dancing on their faces and fancy gowns, on the tears that were slowly drying on the princess’s eyes and cheeks. 

“Was it something I said?” Ingrid asked a few seconds after Edelgard shifted in her arms so she could rest her head over the blonde’s shoulder. They were almost the same height, the princess being a little bit taller whenever her posture wasn’t as slumped as it was in that moment. 

“N- no, it wasn’t. You have been trying to distract me and I… I’m grateful for that,” Edelgard whispered, shaking her head, then gently pushed away from her and held her forearms instead. “You are too good to me, I just wanted to -”

“Shh, hey, whatever it is, it’s ok!” The blonde was keen to say since tears had started gathering in the princess’s eyes once more, diluting the pretty lavender with sadness and something that looked like guilt. “Did your uncle do something bad?”

Ingrid's own expression was shocked for a second, when she wondered if he had told Edelgard that they would be leaving soon - she could no longer imagine what it would be like to not have the girl’s company in her daily life, how dull her days would be again. 

How the only thing Ingrid would be able to look forward to if that were to happen was her marriage, a prospect that didn’t really fill her with a lot of hope or happy thoughts if she were being honest with herself.

“Not bad… but then it was my mistake to make such a request so late into the season,” she had been glancing away from the blonde but managed to look up before continuing, her heart hammering inside her chest at the sudden nervousness. “Ingrid I’m so sorry, I wanted to… you speak so much about flying and all, I wished to - to give you a…”

The blonde tilted her head, confused as to why Edelgard was apologizing and threatening to start crying once more. Should she have asked later, when the girl was calmer and the issue wouldn’t affect her as much? She didn’t know, but did her best to be supportive as it was, cleaning the tears that traveled down her cheeks with gentle fingers before cradling her in another hug.

“It’s Saint Seiros day, so I wanted to.. to give you a pegasus,” Edelgard spoke at last, her cheeks violently blushing due to all the weeping and the emotions roaring through her. "I asked my uncle to get you one but… but he said there were none in the city, that usually pegasi aren’t that easy to find to begin with and…”

“You… tried getting me a pegasus?!” Ingrid echoed in disbelief, her heart skipping a beat as her cheeks turned beet red. Oh. 

The gift stored somewhere in her room felt very, very silly in comparison, even if Edelgard hadn’t really been able to get what she wanted. That sensation was intensified when the princess slowly nodded, pulled away and cleaned her face before Ingrid could do so again; the sweet gesture had made her melt already. 

“I’m so sorry.” She glanced at the hem of her crimson and golden dress, at the rocky bricks that made the palace floors and walls, everywhere but at the blonde girl in front of her. “I really wish this could be… could be special. You mean so much to me, Ingrid, it was the least I could do.”

It was lucky that Edelgard was too ashamed to glance at Ingrid at that moment, or else she would see how flustered she was, nervously toying with the end of her braids and all. 

“But Uncle did say he got me something to give you, even if it isn’t reaaaaally what I wanted. And it has been stored in my room as well. Do you wish to see it?” The princess went on, confused and forlorn.

Ingrid nodded before the question was even finished; she would do everything that she could to see her happy once more, whatever she asked. So she held out a hand and was relieved when Edelgard took it, the two of them silently trudging upstairs to their chambers and going straight to the princess’s room.

The long, wide corridor was empty and aside from their steps they could only hear faint echoes of yells and laughter from the festivities going at full swing underneath them, yet they were more than glad to be away from people that didn’t care less if they were there or not.

And that was more than ok since they could make their own festivities, Ingrid thought as they opened the doors to the chambers before they simply stopped, stared and placed their spare hands on their mouths so they wouldn’t scream.

Close to the lit fireplace and over the crimson, circular rug that stood in the middle of the chimney and the mattress was a small creature lying down over it, facing the other side of the door. It was a pearly white animal that shone under the flames, the small wings on its back twitching ever so slightly as did its ears and sometimes its small tail, swishing the ground as if waiting for something. There was a servant dressed all in black sitting down on a chair next to it, holding a cord looped around its neck and waiting, watching and almost snoozing on the spot.

He shot to his feet when the two came in and bowed, apologized a bit and then relaxed once he realized how mesmerized they were with the infant pegasus in front of them. The animal also stirred, turned its somewhat long neck slightly in order to glance at the newcomers and locked gazes mostly with Ingrid, who had yet to take one step inside the room as it was.

“But… but uncle said…” Edelgard stuttered, ushering the blonde inside and softly closing the door behind them. She couldn’t stop staring at the small wings, at how young the pegasus seemed to be.

“Oh about that! He wanted me to tell you that one, he wanted this to be a surprise to you as well. And two, while he couldn’t get any animals that were of age to carry a knight, this one did find its way to him once he was coming back to the palace,” the servant said, bowing once more as the two little nobles stared at him in surprise. “And that he apologizes that it wasn’t what you wished for, lady Edelgard, but at the same time maybe lady Ingrid would enjoy bonding with her pegasus as they both grow up.”

They could do nothing more than stare, slowly approaching the creature that had gotten to its feet to better look at them. Its movements were small and precise, as lithe and fast as Ingrid herself was on the battlefield. That alone was enough to let them know the two would be inseparable, good companions and allies in fights to come. 

They never returned to the festivities downstairs, instead sat down alongside the baby pegasus after dismissing the servant and giving him orders to let lord Arundel know he had made his niece cry unnecessarily. The girls allowed the animal to sniff their hands and beamed once it accepted pets from both of them; after not too long they were combing the hair over its head and neck, relaxing in front of the fireplace and musing after names.

“Astra,” Ingrid said after too many funny ones like “winter menace”, “coconut pudding” and “rice”. She then got to her feet in a swift movement and left the room in a hurry once she told both princess and pegasus to wait, that she had something she wanted to give Edelgard as well. 

Though she almost gave up halfway and returned empty-handed, a little bit ashamed at how much simpler her gift was in comparison, in the end she pushed through those feelings and returned to the room with a small, golden necklace hidden in her palm.

“Happy Saint Seiros day, El,” she said, then sat down beside the princess, glad to see that she and Astra were getting along as well; the pegasus had placed its head over the brunette’s lap at some point while she was gone. “Now open your hands and close your eyes. No peeking!”

Edelgard beamed and did as she was told, frowning and pursing her lips in the meantime. Her expression did become even more curious as the necklace was placed in her waiting palms, though she did no motion to actually open her eyes until she was told to do so. When she did, her lilac irises became wide and beautiful, shining brighter than the flames in front of them, more than the necklace with two pendants that glittered together under the light as she raised the chain to better look at the charms. At the lance and axe that were so simple, but so beautiful to look at.

Though nothing was more enchanting than the smile that Ingrid got in return, the hug that followed it and the long kiss on the cheek that sealed it all before the princess begged the blonde to put it on her.

“This is so, so pretty! I will never take it off,” Edelgard declared, holding the charms in her hands once it had been fastened behind her neck. “Where did you find this?”

“Oh I uh... “ Ingrid began, blushing wildly once dancing lilac eyes turned on her; it was the first time she had seen such a beautiful smile on El’s face. Even Astra was looking at her with curious eyes, as the pegasus had been very intrigued by the entire thing as well. “Papa taught me how to work with, with metal… to repair weapons and the likes. I just hm, had the palace smith help me work the details and to melt some gold coins I had around, is all.”

The princess was speechless, her face even more surprised after that declaration. Although she knew she was about to sound stupid, she asked the question that was on her mind either way. “You... made this yourself?”

“Y-yeah, that’s why it’s so bad,” the blonde winced, glancing away. “I just wanted something for you to remember me if… once you’re back home.”

For the first time in months Edelgard had no idea what those words meant, the longing for her siblings and her dearest Enbarr, the warmer weather and the carefree days spent there long gone as she hugged Ingrid and didn’t let go for a long while. In a sense she had found another home with that girl, the noble who wanted to be a knight and was already the knightliest of them all in the princess’s eyes.

In that warm embrace, as they talked, thanked each other for the gifts and companionship, they vowed to never forget one another no matter what, to always be together in some way.

They always would in any case, no matter how the years went by and where life led them. As not only on that night, but on the many that had passed before that, they had already gifted each other a piece of their hearts.

It was that piece of their own hearts that made them connect again years later, on a Saint Seiros day unlike any other they had ever had in the past. For the first time in their lives they weren’t spending it with family, but on the brick walls of Garreg Mach monastery and between friends, the clergy and professors.

The dining hall was brimming with energy and food, people chatting animatedly about their own traditions back at home, some funny or amazing anecdotes from past years and gifts they had gotten as well. It was warm and welcoming, a nice place to be at and way better than many Saint Seiros parties that Ingrid had been to in the past, 

And yet… and yet there was something ultimately cold about it that had nothing to do with the weather and everything with the concern that was gnawing at her ever since she had seen a certain someone again.

Ever since the lilac eyes that met her emerald ones lacked a shine and a liveliness of their own, when Ingrid called over to Edelgard on the first day of class and her wide smile was received with nothing but a polite grin. When the words they exchanged had been cold and formal, especially because she had to present herself again as if the two had never met before.

Now, sitting on a corner of the table with the rest of her classmates as they ate, cheered and talked about the year they would have in the Officers Academy, Ingrid made no efforts to participate in that dialogue and let her eyes wander, to run over the Imperial princess and her detached demeanor, the small interactions she kept with the Black Eagles and whoever else called to her from other tables as well.

Ingrid didn’t know what to do about that, what to make of the fact that she had been forgotten. That the gold on Edelgard’s neck was only the collar of her uniform, the necklace she had vowed never to take off nowhere to see. The soft, warm brown of her hair was gone, replaced by cold silver that framed her face and her eyes with a toughness that was new. The hands Ingrid had cradled and caressed in their days and nights together were covered by white gloves that were never removed no matter the task that was being performed. 

All of that had been making her sad for days. She could still recall their time together, how awful it had been when they were pulled apart once the princess went back to Enbarr at last, her uncle way more aggressive and unkind than when they had just arrived from the Empire. After the Tragedy of Duscur happened and Glenn was taken from her, there were one too many moments in which Ingrid would cling to her memories of Edelgard in order to distract herself from the pain, from the uncertainty that had been cast upon her life. Wondering how the princess would deal with the unknown, and the thoughts that she would more than likely face it with determination and strength, had given her some inspiration on how to face those things herself.

It has been almost cruel to see Edelgard again, the intimidating yet chilly stance with which she took on the world and everything else around her made something hurt in Ingrid’s heart. As if she unknowingly read the pain that the princess was trying to mask, the hurt and the scars that had to remain hidden since the world had gone on and she had to accompany it, to be the best version of herself, without time to rest or heal. 

Without time to be who she was and to honor what had happened to her, just as Ingrid herself had done.

And now there they were, two girls being mostly ignored in a Saint Seiros celebration even though it seemed that Edelgard was the one doing the ignoring this time; that, or apparently she was no longer a fan of the date since Ingrid had overheard her saying something or another to Hubert about how much of a farce that was, the two of them chuckling in a demeaning way earlier that day. She had also caught the glint of danger in her eyes at those words, the scowl and the notion that something else was happening underneath it all. 

She had wondered and thought about itl as she walked through the monastery grounds, wondered if what she had been planning to do ever since she got nothing than a polite reception would be worth it at all. If she wouldn’t just get more frustrated than she already was with that, maybe even too scared to ever face the princess again if something else happened and she failed.

Yet the moment Edelgard excused herself and rose to her feet after Dorothea patted her hand, Ingrid couldn’t keep herself still anymore. She couldn’t go on pretending nothing had occurred, or that she would accept that development or lack thereof without trying one last time. 

Without giving her own feelings one last chance for things to go back to the way they were, for her to at least understand what happened to her dear princess through all those years they spent apart.

Although they hadn’t exchanged letters and Ingrid had had her own things to go through, she had kept tabs on Imperial matters, on any news coming from Adrestia and about the imperial family first and foremost. So she had an inkling of what Edelgard had gone through, the death of her siblings and her becoming the future Emperor all of a sudden, when as a child she had often said she was happy she wasn’t the one who was meant to lead. She had heard of the mysterious sickness that had spared only one out of eleven and how El had had to stay bedridden even after she had survived the worst of it.

Yet as she ran down the halls after the princess she somehow knew that wasn’t the gist of it all. That yes, such tragedies and the loss of family were bad enough to change a person and surely had an impact on how much colder the little girl she used to know had become, but there was something else lying underneath it all that was even worse. Something that she wished she could have kept Edelgard away from.

“El?” Ingrid called once she was closer to the smaller girl. The night was chilly and open, the skies glittering with a thousand stars, a thousand wishes for the year that was ending.

A thousand hopes for that moment alone between the two of them, once the princess flinched at that sound and turned around, eyes widening once she saw Ingrid in front of her.

“I am sorry, but could you not use that name -” the princess started, though she wasn’t even sure of how the blonde knew about it. What could have caused her to think she would be fitting to call her that.

Even so her hands fluttered on instinct to her left wrist and traced something under her white gloves. Something she had kept as a bracelet even though it was meant to be a necklace, one that she had no idea how she had gotten to begin with.

One she had held on to through the darkness, the single item that wasn’t taken away from her once she was cast down the dungeons and stayed there though so many nights and days. The sole point of light in that unending darkness, the axe and the lance that she knew had one day meant so much for her.

“I’m sorry, but would you come with me? I… I know this sounds strange to you right now, but please, give me- give me a chance,” Ingrid said in a small voice, doing her best to not look away from those wide, yet no longer hostile or defensive lavender eyes.

It was a delight when the request was accepted a few seconds later, as Edelgard tried determining why her breath had caught and her heart had sped up, her mind whispering that it was right, that somewhere along it all there would be a light and a warmth she had been missing for a while now. 

She had no idea where they were going or what Ingrid had in mind as they walked in silence, their steps slow and synchronized as if they had meandered like that some time before. Somehow she wanted to hold the blonde’s hand but kept from it since there was no rhyme nor reason for such a desire; though it wasn’t lost on her that Ingrid’s fingers also twitched, turning towards hers.

“Where are we going?” The princess inquired after a while, when they passed in front of the dining hall and kept going beside the lake, still and dark except for its reflection of the stars above and the flawless waxing moon.

She was starting to get a bit worried, though only a small part of her mind that was always on high alert was responsible for that feeling. It was as if she naturally trusted Ingrid for some reason or another, as if she knew there was nothing to fear and that the two of them being together like that was right.

“You’ll see soon. We’re almost there and I don’t intend to keep you for too long either,” Ingrid’s voice was soft, her emerald eyes were tender and the smile on her face was gentle. The wind ruffled her braid and the few tendrils of hair that had already escaped from it framed her face, a halo of gold that was visible against the light of the torches scattered around the monastery grounds at night.

Perhaps it was the ambience that gave her the sensation something like that had already happened, the familiar light dancing over their faces and sending away the coldness of the night, creating an atmosphere where they were safe and sound with each other as it was. Creating a feeling, one that Edelgard couldn’t name, but that she had been yearning for and missing for a long, long time.

A feeling that made her step closer to Ingrid on instinct alone as they rounded on the silent, empty marketplace without any tents on since most of the merchants lived close and had gone back to their families for the day.

The princess frowned when they turned not there, nor on the entrance hall, but on the stables. There was no one in it as the caretakers were either enjoying a meal in the dining hall or away as well, so Ingrid had to open the doors to the boxes where most of the monastery horses and pegasi were stored. Few of the animals actually belonged to the students, but there were some exceptions to the rule as some people from the nobler, richer houses did have their own mounts and took them to Garreg Mach as well. 

Although that wasn’t the case with Ingrid, as the Galateas were nothing but a minor noble family in the Kingdom or at least one that had fallen on bad times recently with the famine and so on, once she whispered a name they heard the sound of steps. A second later a white pegasus head became visible from a box at the end of the corridor, peering at the two girls with inquisitive eyes.

Eyes that focused on Edelgard with some degree of wonder and recognition in the same way that the princess felt a bit of familiarity upon looking at the animal. Ingrid watched with a small smile as El proceeded to wordlessly approach Astra, the same Astra that she had gotten as a gift on Saint Seiros day so many years ago.

The same Astra that had been so tiny, its wings had seemed to be more like cute feathers than the powerful ones that sprung from the pegasus’s back and twitched in anticipation right then. The same Astra that had laid its head on the princess’s lap and sniffled her fingers the first time around, then watched as she and Ingrid exchanged hugs, pecks and promises to never forget one another.

That same pegasus now brought its muzzle closer to Edelgard when she offered a hand and instead of sniffling it once more, simply nudged it in a silent pleading for caresses, surprising the two girls with it. They both beamed, Ingrid stepping closer to the princess and watching the scene, how those two hardened lilac irises gradually melted, gradually went back to the warm, carefree ones had enchanted her so when she and Edelgard were kids

“This pegasus… have I… seen it before?” The princess inquired, her hand yet again twitching to the bracelet in her wrist once she withdrew her touch from Astra and turned to face the blonde. There were more questions than answers in her mind, some of which she hoped Ingrid could help with. Though the most concerning one, the one that kept burning stronger and demanded an immediate reply, was uttered in a small, tentative whisper. “Have I… seen you before, Ingrid?”

Ingrid looked down at their feet, the hay stacked over the stone floor of the corridor between boxes. Some horses were sound asleep, their breathing slow and rhythmic, the sound an easy one for her to get lost into. Should she just give her the answer or should she…

Instead of thinking and letting words get the best of her, Ingrid reached into her collar and unclasped something behind her neck, then grabbed Edelgard’s hand and placed it there, closing her hand into a fist in an almost mimic of what was done so many years ago.

At first the princess was surprised, the gesture making her take a step back given how sudden it had been. Then she opened her fingers and gasped, her eyes tearing up as she saw a necklace with simple designs, the rustic charms that were an axe and a lance. As she fumbled with thoughts and memories of better days rushing back at her, the castle in Fhirdiad, the sparring, the pegasus, the pendants, their hugs and promises and the sensation of coming home, her hands undid the bracelet on her wrist so she could show it to Ingrid as well.

“I… it has always been with me. It was the one thing they couldn’t take away from me, the one thing that gave me strength,” Edelgard mumbled through the tears that fell from her eyes, tears that shone in happiness instead of pain and loss. 

Tears that were dried by Ingrid’s thumbs once more as the princess tried putting the new necklace on, then gave up once the blonde said “I got it” and finished the process, just for them to fall into a hug that was more a mess of tears and “I miss you”s than anything else.

That Saint Seiros night saw them come together once more, talking a little about their lives during those years away from each other. They took a seat outside of the stables and watched the night sky change, stars glittering with hopes for new beginnings and better endings this time around. 

And although no tough questions were asked and not all secrets were shared, there came a day when those also saw the light. When scars were soothed by kisses and caresses. When doubts were laid to rest by love and mutual support.

The axe and the lance stayed together on more than just a necklace and a bracelet, but for as long as Edelgard and Ingrid lived. The two became completely inseparable now that they had met one another again and had decided that no one but themselves would determine the path they would walk on together, holding hands and stealing kisses through it all. 

**Author's Note:**

> Moni!!!! Archbishop of edelgrid, emperor of AUs, amazing friend and writer! How to not think about these two when trying to write something for you :3
> 
> Thank you so much for this year, for all the help and support and for being the incredible person you are. i hope you enjoy this xD love you, mi amore
> 
> Lina


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